


I won't lose anyone else

by RushValley



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, This shit is painful :), anyways ill add more tags as i go, basically shit goes wrong when Al and Ed try to bring Trisha back and Ed runs away from home, but then well all suffer together :'), homunculus au, its lighthearted and fluffy for a bit :), like my last fic ed and winry are basically siblings, tho it might be a lil while until we see ed
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-23
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:34:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,849
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26058055
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RushValley/pseuds/RushValley
Summary: Winry never knew what this world had against her. First the war took her parents. Then illness took Trisha, who was basically family to her. Ed and Al were rightfully upset, Winry was too, but they seemed to be plotting something behind her back. Why couldn’t they just tell her? Whatever they were planning she could help! Everyone kept leaving, couldn’t she at least keep them by her side? Then there was that day they sped home from school and she never got to see Al again. She only caught a glimpse of Ed as he ran away from home, but he was different… She wasn’t sure what happened that night, but all she knew is that she lost one brother that night and she didn’t want to lose the other.-An Au where shit goes the worst, Al doesn't make it, Ed runs away, and Winry is left alone. The only lead she has on Ed's whereabouts is their old teacher, Izumi.
Relationships: Edward Elric & Winry Rockbell, Greed/Winry Rockbell
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6





	1. The search begins

Winry never knew what this world had against her. First the war took her parents. Then illness took Trisha, who was basically family to her. Ed and Al were rightfully upset, Winry was too, but they seemed to be plotting something behind her back. Why couldn’t they just tell her? Whatever they were planning she could help! Everyone kept leaving, couldn’t she at least keep them by her side? Then there was that day they sped home from school and she never got to see Al again. She only caught a glimpse of Ed as he ran away from home, but he was different… She wasn’t sure what happened that night, but all she knew is that she lost one brother that night and she didn’t want to lose the other.

Granny was the only thing holding her back and when she ended up passing, all Winry had left was Den, her skills, and an empty house. She couldn’t stand it. It was too much, too different… Without Granny the house felt wrong and lonely. So she did her best to push down the grief and started packing her bags. If she left she could pretend that Granny was alright and she had to try to find Ed. He was the only family she had left, besides Den of course. She had been planning for years where to begin her search, and even though she only had one lead, it was the best shot she had. 

-

It had been nearly 10 years since she had last seen Ed, lord knows that he might look a bit different… The best way to get information on his whereabouts would be from people outside of Resembool. She hoped his name was unique enough that it would help because he definitely wasn’t the 11 year old kid he was when she last saw him. The train pulled into Dublith’s station and jolted Winry from her thoughts. Right, she had a mission. She got her bags and led Den off the train. Thankfully they didn’t take Den back to the bag cart since she was an emotional support dog. 

“Well we made it here in one piece Den!” Winry reached down to pet Den’s head, mostly for her own sake. She’d never been out of Resembool, so this whole journey was very anxiety inducing. “Um, excuse me, but would you happen to know where Curtis Meats is?” she called out to a passerby.

“Why sure miss! Just down this road here, then turn a right and it should be right there!” 

“Thank you so much!” she smiled. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad! People here seem friendly enough so that was reassuring. She assumed she would stick out like a sore thumb being from a hick town in the east. 

Soon enough, she was walking into the shop. She saw movement from the back of the shop as the door shut behind her, a bell dinging to alert her presence.

“How can i help ya?” a tall man who she recognized as Sig Curtis. He looked about the same as he did when she met him and his wife all those years ago.  
“Oh, hi Mr. Curtis, it's nice to see you again! I’m Winry Rockbell from Resembool, I’m Ed and Al’s friends. I was wondering if i could ask Mrs. Curtis some questions about them?”

“Huh, I haven’t seen them in years…”

“You… you haven’t? I’m honestly out looking for Ed, but… I think Als gone…”

“Wait, what? What happened??”

“I’m not sure to be honest… It was some alchemy thing, but I can’t make heads or tails of it. Trust me I’ve been trying to figure it out for years, but all I know is there was a lot of blood and… some… creature… in the middle…” The thought of it sent shivers down her spine. Even after all these years, cleaning the gore out the Elric’s basement still haunted her. “The only thing we could find of Al was his clothes near the circle…”

“Winry,” Sig said suddenly, looking very concerned and serious, “We need to talk to Izumi right away. Please come with me”

“Oh! Um yeah sure!” Although she was slightly taken aback by the sudden change of tone, she followed him into the back of the store.

-

After she explained everything that happened all those years ago, Winry sat back and watched their reactions. Izumi seemed stunned silent, staring into her cup of tea. She only returned to the present when she felt Sig’s hand on her back, given her a reassuring pat. 

“I think I know what happened that night… I think those boys committed alchemy’s greatest taboo,” Izumi took a gulp, “Human transmutation…”

“Huh…? I don’t really know alchemy but did they try to change something about themselves or-” Winry tried her best to think back to all of their alchemy ramblings, but it was so long ago she couldn’t remember much.

“Oh no, it’s far worse they tried to create life… They must have tried to bring someone back from the dead.”

Then it all made sense. The plotting behind her back. Them pulling away like their lives depended on it.... They tried to bring Trisha back… She understood why they would, she of all people would understand, but something must have went wrong… what could have happened?? Did it take Al’s life as some sort of sick “equivalent exchange”??

“-ry. Winry are you okay?” She looked up to Sig and Izumi focused on her.  
“Ah sorry, I started over thinkin there and I must have spaced out…” She took a sip of tea to try to help herself relax, “What were you saying?”

“It’s fine, I’m sure it’s a lot to take in. I was asking if you knew anything else about what those boys were up to the night before. If we know what their plan was exactly, we might be able to nail down what happened to them.”

Winry nodded and tried her best to recall everything she could. Izumi asked her to sketch out what she could remember of the circle and the creature. As they talked Sig had to leave a few times to take care of some customers up front, but eventually came back to tell Izumi that it was almost dinner time. Surprisingly, they had talked about this for hours without WInry really noticing time going by at all. The Curtis’ offered to let her stay for dinner and the night, but Winry decided that she had taken up enough of their time for the night and would try to find her own accommodations. She waved goodbye to the Curtis’ for the night, and headed off with her head in the clouds, trying to figure out what must have happened that night.

-

As she walked along with Den and her Suitcase, Den started sniffing the ground and seemed to be pulling them off their course a little. 

“Den? What is it girl? You alright?” Winry let herself be pulled off to the side by her dog, slightly curious. Regardless of what Den was interested in, there was a bit of daylight left and people seemed friendly enough around here. Besides, it was a good distraction from her thoughts.

Den seemed to lead her over to a store of some kind. Just as soon as a short man walked out, Den started sniffing him and trying to jump on him.

“Oh my god! I’m so sorry, she's usually better behaved than this!” Winry apologized as she tugged on Den’s leash. What has gotten her so worked up??

The man seemed to laugh it off, “It’s fine! It honestly happens a lot to me, especially with dogs. Could I pet her?”

“Yeah sure!” Winry replied looking at the man as he crouched down to pet Den. He has short dark brown hair and a round face. He seemed to be wearing some kind of sleeveless robe over a black short sleeved shirt. She wasn’t sure what it was about him exactly, but he seemed kind enough that she was able to relax a bit around him. “Her name’s Den, she’s been trained to be an emotional support animal for automail surgeries and the like. That’s partially why she’s usually so calm, but i don’t know what got into her tonight.”

“Ah I see! Well i can tell she’s a good one!” He said, standing up and reaching out a hand, “My name’s Dolcetto and you are?”  
“I’m Winry Rockbell! It’s nice to meet you!” She smiled, shaking his hand.

“So are ya new in town? We don’t see too many visitors, but it's not that uncommon. I can give you some recommendations on where to eat or places to stay, if you want.”

“Yea I’m just passing through and I would really appreciate that!” Winry smiled, he really was nice! Izumi and Sig didn’t know about too many places that allowed dogs, but this Dolcetto guy seemed to be an animal lover. Maybe he’d know somewhere that she and Den could stay the night, “Do you know any places that allow dogs? I don’t really wanna stay anywhere that Den couldn’t”

“Hmm…” He seemed to think on it for a bit, “I’m not sure about any hotels around here that allow dogs, but I think the bar I work at would if you’re hungry. I was headin over there myself, we could ask the other employees and see if they know any place you could stay.”

“That sounds great, thank you so much!” Winry said as he took the lead. As they chatted on their way there all she could think was that she needed a drink after everything they talked about today.


	2. Dogs, Drinks, and Deals

Dolcetto Led Winry to the bar he worked at, the Devil’s Nest. She was honestly really glad to have a guide because otherwise she probably would have gotten lost on one of the many turns. Dolcetto seemed pretty happy to have someone to chat with on the way there. He explained that he mostly worked as a mix of a bouncer and bar keep, depending on who else was staffed that night. Normally, Winry would have been on her guard with a stranger in a new town, but something about him seemed familiar and put her at ease. It was honestly a nice change of pace from the last few hours she had worrying about her brothers. 

“And we’re here! Thankfully the rush doesn’t usually start until another hour or so, so you should be able to relax a bit!” He grinned at her. Geez he really was sweet!

“Thanks Dolcetto! I really do appreciate it!”

“Anytime!” He held the door open and they went inside.i

"Hey Dol, welcome back! Did you get the stuff for the mixers?" a woman with short blonde hair called from behind the bar. She seemed to be busy organising supplies behind the bar.

"Yea yea Martel i got 'em! And I ran into a customer on the way here."

The woman, Martel, looked up at Winry and gave her a small smile and wave, "Welcome to the Devil's Nest. I don't think I've seen you around before, are you new in town or just new to this bar?"

"Oh! I'm travelling and Dolcetto said that you're alright with dogs, so I decided to tag along while we try to figure out where to stay for tonight."

Dolcetto went to put up the groceries as Martel walked up to Winry and Den, "...Can i pet her…?" 

"Oh sure!" As soon as Winry gave the okay, Martel was scratching behind Den's ears. It was honestly really cute how everyone she met so far seemed to love Den. Though, to be fair, it's what she deserved.

"Aww what's her name?"

Winry gave Martel the same description she gave Dolcetto. After hearing about the service dog bit, she seemed to perk up for a second. It seemed like she was about to ask something before Den licked her face, wanting more attention.

Winry took a look around the bar, it seemed fairly empty. Although, it was a Wednesday evening and not even dark out yet so that made sense. There were a few patrons, but aside from Martel and Dolcetto she couldn't spot any other employees. Shrugging it off as them getting ready for the rush Dolcetto described, Winry walked up to the bar and took a menu that he offered her. 

"Sorry it's mostly bar fair"

"It's fine! I mean I kinda expected that, but is there anything I could order for Den? I'm sure she's hungry too"

Dolcetto said he'd get her fixed up. Winry ended up getting a BLT and some water for right now. She glanced over the drink menu, but wasn't quite sure what to order. The last time she tried some alcohol it was a sip of strong whiskey and needless to say she wasn't a fan. 

“So what brings you to Dublith anyways?” Martel asked as she walked back behind the bar, “We’re not really a tourist spot, so we don’t get that many visitors.”

“Oh, I’m looking for my brother… This town was the only lead I had, but it turns out that his alchemy teacher didn’t know where he was either...”

“Hmmm… how long has it been since ya last saw him?” Dolcetto asked as he appeared with their food.

“About 10 years… I would have gone looking for him earlier, but I had to take care of my Granny…” Winry wasn’t sure what it was with these people. Usually, you don’t just spill your guts to strangers you just met, much less ones who run a somewhat shady bar, but something about these two put her at ease, “Ah but I won’t bore you with the details! Uh anyways, do either of you have any cocktail recommendations? I could use a drink, but I’m not the biggest fan of how strong it is.”

“Hmm… We have a few cocktails that would probably be good? I can say that Doc’s the one who knows the most about fruitier cocktails, after him it's probably Bido… but they’re both restin up before the rush so you’re stuck with us. My go-to is rum and cola, but it still leaves a bad taste in your mouth so I don’t think you’d like it.” Dolcetto thought out loud. That’s a little weird that a barkeep doesn’t know too much about cocktails… Maybe Dolcetto just worked in the kitchen?

“I’ve had a few of Doc’s favorites and they’re pretty good at hiding the alcohol, like this one for example.” Martel pointed out a few different options and the pros and cons of each. With Martel’s help Winry eventually decided on a drink called a “mary pickford”, a mix of rum, pineapple juice, and grenadine. It actually ended up being really good! Huh, surprise surprise a hicktown in the east’s homemade moonshine and harsh whiskey doesn’t hold a candle to a proper cocktail. She continued to chat with Martel and Dolcetto for a while and eventually ordered another drink around the time more of their co-workers came downstairs to the bar. Huh, did they live here too or was there just a break room upstairs? The more she thought about it the more questions Winry had about this place… Regardless, all the folks seemed okay. The only catch of bringing a dog in seemed to be that all the employees wanted to pet Den. To be fair, it's what Den deserved and she seemed to like the attention. 

At this point, Winry was about 2 and half drinks down. She probably needed to try to find lodging here soon, but she was having too much fun talking to all the barkeeps. Dolcetto was right about Doc knowing more about cocktails for sure, after he came down he made Winry a custom drink that was just perfect. The poor guy had a big scar across one eye and, despite trying to hold herself back, Winry found herself asking how he got it. Doc ended up telling her that some nasty customer had too much to drink and when Ulchi and Roa were trying to help escort him out he slipped out of their grips and went crazy. In the confusion of the fight he ended up getting his scar. Somehow, she couldn’t imagine the two large men not being able to take care of this asshole, but if there was more to it she didn’t push. They had a right to their secrets after all. Every one of them seemed to have exciting stories, it kinda made Winry feel self conscious, but they all were very friendly anyways. Winry wasn’t sure whether it was the alcohol clouding her judgement, how much they all seemed to love Den, or how nice and friendly they all were, but she felt so at ease. How long has it been since she actually relaxed like this? 

Just as she started getting sentimental, she jumped as the front door slammed open. She turned to look at the tall, black haired man who just about gave her a heart attack. Good lord that was a lot of leather, she could kinda understand the vest as weird as it was, but the pants? Oh yikes that had to be hard to move in, yet he didn’t seem to have a hard time kicking in the door to make one hell of an entrance. She was also surprised by the fact no one else seemed startled in the slightless, just how often did the man kick open their door??

“Oh hey welcome back boss!” Dolcetto chimed in along with a few other employees. This man was their boss?? He sure as hell didn’t look professional, but he did have an air of confidence. As he waved hello to his employees, he seemed to notice Winry giving him a second glance and decided to make his way over.

“Hey sweetheart, I don’t thinkI’ve seen you around before. Are you new to this town?” The way he leaned his arm on the bar behind Winry partially trapped her, but he left enough room for her to feel comfortable. She knew he was tall, but jeez he towered over her! Also why did he still have his sunglasses on? It should be dark out now so it's not like he needed them outside anyways…

“Oh, I’m just passing through. I ran into one of your employees and he recommended the place to me since I wasn’t sure which restaurants I was allowed to take my dog into.” Winry really wasn’t sure what was up with her tonight. Why on earth was she so comfortable just talking to this weirdo wearing almost all leather and sunglasses inside? Oh well, if anyone asks she decided she was going to blame it on the alcohol.

“Wait, you have a dog?!” The man immediately dropped down to eye level with Den and started patting her on her head. Okay maybe he was alright even if he was a lil bit weird, “What’s her name? How did she get this automail?”

“Oh her name's Den! She actually got loose one day and got into a train accident after chasing some sheep, so I ended up making that for her with my Granny’s help” Oh! He was interested a bit in her automail. Well okay color her pleasantly surprised. Winry had explained a little about Den’s automail to the others earlier, but they were more interested in spoiling Den with affection.

“You made this?” He turned, still patting Den.

“Uh yeah!” Not going to lie, his full attention was a little overwhelming. What was with this dude?

“Oh hell yea! Babe you’re a lifesaver could you maybe help one of my guys?” He stood up and grabbed Winry’s hands in his own.

“Your guys…?” 

“Yeah, my man Marco recently got hurt tryin to protect the place. He ended up losing a hand, think you can give ‘im one?” Oh boy, something about this dude was very persuasive… But also, how on earth do you lose a hand protecting a bar?? Everyone around here seemed really nice, but was it that dangerous at night? Oh jeez, maybe she should try to find a place to stay sooner than later.

“I mean, I wasn’t planning on sticking around here that long! Automail work takes time and I’m looking for my brother. Besides, it's really pricey so I can’t exactly do it out of the goodness of my heart...”

“That’s fine babe! I can pay whatever you need!” The man threw his arm around her shoulder, “How about we make a deal?”

“A deal? What exactly are you thinking?”

“Well, you said it takes time right? To make and get the wearer used to it? How about I give you a room here and I help you look for your brother?”

“Huh?” Okay now she was both surprised and intrigued, this guy obviously cared about his employees a lot, “why would you go through all that?”

“Well, one, it's gotta be cheaper in the long run for you to stay here for sure. Two, if you’re here and Marco needs any help, you can get to ‘im right away! Three, I gotta admit you’re pretty cute and I’d like to get to know you better”

Well shit now she was blushing… but all things considered, it didn’t seem like a bad idea. Getting help finding Ed would be useful and she could earn some more spending money too. Her only real lead fell through with Izumi when neither of the Curtis’s knew where Ed might be....

“Okay, well as good as that all sounds I still don’t know your name…” She said shoving his arm off and looking at his sunglasses. Did… did she catch a bit of purple behind those shades?

“The name’s Greed, sweetheart,” He grinned and held out a hand.

“Winry Rockbell, nice to meet you Greed. It’s a deal,” she smiled, taking his hand.

Oh boy she was going to regret this

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy, okay so i posted both chapters in the same day bc im going crazy with all of this. So im not completely sure when ill add the next chapter but well have to see, bc im back on my rarepair bullshit and my brain goes brrrr when it comes to writing all of this
> 
> but yea thanks for reading i really appreciate it!


	3. scars

"So doll, why are ya lookin for your brother around here anyways?" Greed asked as he took a sip of bourbon. He had led Winry a lil ways away from the rest of the bar. It was starting to get a bit too chaotic for her liking and the couch they were on now was a lot more comfortable.

"Well, he and my other brother were studying under an alchemy teacher here. So, i came here to ask where he might be…" she took a sip of water. Geez, why was she bringing up Al? Thinking about him only hurt, even after all these years.

Greed must have seen how Winry's mood shifted because he reached out to pat her shoulder. "Hey, you don't gotta tell me anythin you don't wanna. We all got secrets around here, it's up to you if you wanna share 'em…" His voice was the most gentle she had heard him be. Was this the same man who kicked down his own bar's door half an hour ago? Regardless, it was very reassuring.

"I just already lost one brother, and I don't want to lose Ed too… We may not be related by blood, but that doesn't mean we aren't family… He's really all i have left..."

"Oh I get you completely sweetheart, I don't know what I'd do if one of my crew went missing. They're mine and if anyone fucked with them, I think I'd go nuts gettin even." He gave her a reassuring pat. Despite the way he phrased that, it was comforting that he cared so much about his employees. Hell, maybe if she stayed around enough she'd be included in that. She smiled a bit as she took another sip of water and reached out to pet Den. It was a silly thought, but it would be refreshing to be wanted and protected.

"See now that's a bit more like it! I can't have you gettin all teary eyed on me when you got such a lovable pup here to comfort you," He gave Den a few pats on the head, "See? Would she want you gettin all upset when you're about to find your brother?"

"...no"

"Exactly! So cheer up! How about we change the subject? Where are ya from?"

"Oh, I'm from Resembool. It's just a really small town in the east. There's not much there other than farmland and sheep."

"Ah I guess this whole trips a hell of a lot different from what youre used to then."

"Yea totally! I've never been outside Resembool before today!" Winry relaxed a bit and turned to look at Greed a little bit easier. This was a lot more comfortable to talk about.

"Woah really? Ya could have fooled me!"

Winry laughed, "Seriously?! I've felt like a fish out of water all day today! Dublith is so different, I have no idea what I'll do whenever I have to look in Central for Ed. I swear I'll be so lost!"

"Well lucky for you I travel a lot and I happen to know Central like the back of my hand!" Greed boasted and held up his left hand. It didn't matter if he was bluffing or not, this back and forth felt so natural that Winry didn't care about the truth of his statement for now.

"Oh my, aren't I lucky? I just happened across a human map. Oh thank god I happened across your humble bar," Winry teased.

"Damn right babe, I can be your guide. I'll take good care of ya," He grinned and, although it was a lil hard to see under his glasses, Winry was pretty sure he winked at her. Oh god here we go again.

"Speaking of hands, I've been meaning to ask about your tattoo. Did it hurt? It looks pretty cool!" Winry asked, eager to change the subject. Greed was a flirt and, even though Winry was a little interested, she had basically no experience in that field. After Ed ran away, the civil war got worse and she didn't have much time or energy to date while she was working her ass off making automail for all of the amputees the war created. Her inexperience aside, she still had a good set of eyes and could tell that he was hot. Like damn. He was toned too… Winry willed herself to snap out of it.

"Oh this? Nah I've had it as long as I can remember," He held out his hand so she could get a better look. He seemed to smirk a little when Winry took his hand to study the tattoo.

"hmm interesting… Is it like a symbol of unity or something?" without thinking, Winry used her other hand to lightly trace the symbol, "It looks like snake or something…"

"Mhmm… It's called an Ouroboros, serpent eating its own tail. I think it's a symbol of infinity or somethin," He grabbed and flipped her hand over, "What about yours? Your hands are really rough and calloused for someone so soft and cute…" 

"Oh um... It's from working on automail for years…" Something about having someone staring at her hands had Winry feeling self conscious. They were all rough and scarred from years of work. Greed seemed not to care though as his fingers ghosted over scars from several cuts and burns. His hands were surprisingly soft and careful, treating her hands as if they were glass… and then he leaned down and kissed her hands. Winry was sure her face was on fire. They were still in the bar and even she barely knew this man but something about him was driving her crazy…

“It’s such a shame that they’re all scratched up, maybe this will help it to feel better,” He said between kisses, “Ya know, if you stick around me I swear I’ll never let-”

"Hey boss, Roa and Dol had somethin they wanted to talk to you about," Martel seemed to appear out of nowhere and about gave Winry a heart attack, "besides, it's getting late and I should probably show Winry her room so she can get some rest."

"Ugh Martel, why do they need me right now? I'm getting to know her!" He pouted as he slung his arm around Winrys waist. Oh god, Winrys mind was all static. Greed was going to be the death of her and at the moment it seemed like a pretty appealing way to go.

Martel sighed, “Do you even know what time it is?”

“Uh, no…?”

“It’s almost one am and from what I can tell, she looks exhausted,” Martel offered a hand to Winry, “Come on, I’ll help ya get all settled.”

“Oh, thank you,” Winry, still blushing, took her hand and let Martel lead her upstairs. Winry waved goodnight to Greed and the rest of the bar.

-

Martel led Winry up to a spare room and showed her where the bathroom was. Thankfully, Winry had brought some toiletries with her so she didn’t have to ask to borrow anything. After taking Den out one more time, she got bedded down for the night. All in all, everyone seemed really nice. The spare room was actually better than she had thought, if a bit barren. Oh well, if she was really going to stay here that long she could always sprue it up a bit. Unable to sleep quite yet with so much on her mind, she made a mental to do list. 

First things first, she needed to meet with Marco and figure out what kind of automail would suit him best. After that she could begin drafting up some free body diagrams and blueprints before figuring out what kind of material she would need. Given that they seem to get in a lot of fights, he would probably need something that was hard and durable, but still light enough to not be awkward… maybe a high carbon steel of some sort? Hmm… she’ll have to think about it more later. After she’s done preparing for Marco’s automail, she should probably let Izumi and Sig know that she’s staying in town for a while. It’ll be nice to have a base of operations of sorts. Then there’s finally trying to find Ed. Lord knows what he’s up to now, but at least she’s got help trying to find his sorry ass. 

...Speaking of ass, she’s pretty sure that Greed was staring at hers as she walked upstairs. Oh lord why did her mind circle back to him?! She rolled over in the surprisingly comfy bed to shove her face in the plush pillow, hoping to muffle her embarrassed squeal. She was 21 years old and this man she just met was already getting under her skin… Oh good lord, he probably thought she was a naive farm girl… which wasn’t far off to be fair, but still… She never had to deal with this kind of affection before. The most she had was boys asking her to dance with them at festivals and Winry doing the most to deny them. It wasn’t that she wasn’t interested in romance, but that she didn’t like anyone in Resembool. Maybe if one of the girls had asked her to dance she would have, but it was frowned upon for two girls to dance together much less anything more. 

Before she went to sleep, she took one final look at her hands… That was the softest and most intimate thing she’s ever experienced and it made her heart swell. How on Earth did a man wearing mostly leather, some tiny ass sunglasses, and pointy shoes already worm his way into her heart? It had to be the alcohol right? She wasn’t that desperate for affection and comfort, there’s no way... But yet… Something about the way he held her like she was glass and could break at any moment melted her heart… It felt so right… Half of her wanted to back on the couch snuggled up next to him. She noticed it earlier, but he smelled like alcohol and leather, like you would think on a first glance, but also he smelled a bit like vanilla and cedar wood…? It was odd, but comforting to say the least… She looked over at Den’s sleeping form and gave her a small pat. Right, she needed to sleep. She had a big day ahead of her and she only hoped she could shake off these thoughts long enough to get some much needed rest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> woop woop another chapter because I'm feral ig, Its shorter but oh well its good enough for now. 
> 
> Oh also in case its not apparent from this chapter, Winry is bi/pan. She just never got around to dating because she was so busy with work.


	4. blueprints and blushing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Winry sits down with Greed and Marco/Mars to figure out what kind of automail Mars wants

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow its been a little while anyways im not sure if anyone is really interested in this ship other than me but here we go! heres some rarepair with a side of angst!

Winry woke up to Den licking her face and an unfamiliar room. Oh right, she spent the night at the Devil’s nest. Surprisingly enough, she didn’t have a hangover or anything. She remembered Granny telling her that if she drank enough water, she wouldn’t have one and tried to follow through on her advice. It must have worked, but lord she did not want to get out of bed. It was so hot at night that she had opted to sleep in a sports bra and some pajama shorts, but the bed and pillow seemed to stay just the right temperature. God she never wanted to get up! The plush mattress almost engulfed her in how comfy it was, but still she had a job to do. She only saw the time after she used all her willpower to get out of bed. It was noon, good lord! Granted, everyone else was probably still asleep because they stayed up working, but still!! She had shit she had to do! Gathering her things, she went into autopilot and headed for the bathroom to brush her teeth and such. She started to make a mental check of all the stuff she had to do today and accidentally ran into a black blur that she didn’t notice beforehand.

“Oh god I’m so sorry I wasn't looking where I was going I’m-”

“Oh, hey there doll, better watch where you’re goin!” She looked up to meet Greed’s eyes (or shades in this case man did he ever take them off?!) as he helped her up, “It’s all alright I know you didn’t mean to. Oh by the way, I’ll be downstairs so after you get all ready I can introduce you to Marco and we can start makin a list of what all you’ll need. Sound good?”

“Oh um yeah sure! Just give me a few!” 

“Yea sure, take all the time you need!” She started towards the bathroom before stopping when he called for her again, “But uh Winry?”

“Yeah what’s up?” 

“I gotta admit, bedheads a good look on you~ Your pjs are pretty cute too, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t holding myself back,” He actually pulled down his glasses to make a show of eyeing her up and down before giving her a wink, turning around, and heading downstairs. 

Holy shit. 1. That actually happened um what the fuck 2. His eyes were purple what the fuck 3. Holy shit did this man get off on torturing her?? Like her face was on fire good lord… Well she was definitely going to change her routine after all of that.

-

After she finally got all decent, she headed downstairs to meet Greed and Marco at one of the bar booths. Surprisingly, they seemed to have some pastries and beverages with them as well. 

“Oh hey you must be Winry, the names Marco, but eh these days I’m tryin to go by Mars,” He extended his left hand for a handshake, “Its a pleasure to meet you!”

“Oh the pleasures mine! It’s nice to meet you too Mars,” Winry said, taking his hand. He had short strawberry blonde hair, a kind face, and a strong grip. He seemed really nice like the rest of the employees, but Winry couldn’t help but wonder how he lost his right hand...

“Dude, I really don’t think Mars is gonna catch on. Marco’s a perfectly good name there's nothing wrong with it!” Greed said, putting his arms behind his head. Right, the man who would be the death of her was sitting right there and patting the space next to him, “Anyways, come on and sit down doll I bet we’ve got a lot of stuff to cover.”

Winry sat down and pulled out a notebook. She hadn’t really been planning on fitting anyone with automail on this journey, but a home base and some help was too good to pass up. Shifting into work mode, she started examining Mars’ wrist. The nerves seemed to be in decent shape, good enough to work with at least. Jumping into automail, she explained the process and sketched some ideas for his new hand. Mars seemed to understand that the procedure would be painful, but was fine with it. 

“Oh, you lost your hand in a fight right? Do you want some kind of weapons in your automail?” Winry asked after a second. It would make sense after all. 

“Wait, you can do that?! Dude fuckin please give me some kinda claws if you can to replace the ones I lost!”

“Oh, I think claws should be easy to implement! There’s a few models out there with them already. Would you like them to be diamond tipped? It would be very sharp, but you could run into issues with maintenance and upkeep because of carbon decay, especially considering I’m leaning towards a high carbon steel…” Winry missed the look between Greed and Mars as she continued to ramble and sketch, “Here, how’s this look? I think I could make the claws retractable if I plan everything out correctly.”

“Oh that looks great! God you’re a lifesaver!”

“I’m glad I could help!” Winry looked up from her notebook a little too fast and noticed how dizzy she was. Ah shit, she hyper focused again. Sure enough she was shaking.

“Hey doll, you alright there?” Greed grabbed her shoulders. Oh right, she was so invested in Mars automail that she forgot he was even there. He took a pitcher of water and poured a glass, “Here, have some water.”

“Thanks…” She took the glass and downed it. That seemed to help and the donut that Mars passed her afterwards helped even more, “Sometimes I just get so caught up in my work that I lose track of time and forget to take care of myself.”

“I mean I can tell that your work is great, but we need you to take care of yourself so you can work on it, alright?” Greed handed her another glass of water. 

“Yeah! I mean, I can’t exactly get fitted with your automail if you’re not around!” Mars laughed. Jeez, why was everyone around here so nice? They were more like a family than a bar.

"Haha thanks, i appreciate it… Oh! By the way, besides the material, I'll need to get some tools. I left all of mine at home."

"Ah makes sense. How far away from home are ya?" Greed shifted besides her, "I know Rush Valley probably has the tools you're lookin for too, but if you'd prefer to grab the stuff you're used to that makes sense"

"Oh I'm from Resembool."

"Oh shit really?" Mars picked up another donut, "wasn't that really close to the civil war?"

"uh yeah… We actually had to frequently fit people from the ishvalan civil war with automail and regular prosthetics… In all honesty, while the business was good the war spreading to our doorstop was… a lot…" Winry looked into her glass of water, seemly asking it for advice, "uh but anyway! If Rush Valley is easier I'd love to go, I've heard stories about the place, but I never got to go"

"mhmm… Then take today to rest and run some errands in town, cause tomorrow we'll continue our search for your brother there!"

"Sounds like a plan!" Winry stood up, "In that case, I'll see ya later!"

-

After Winry left Greed looked at Mars, "ya know, that was a lil risky"

"What do you mean? She needs to know what kind of a hand I want"

"She doesn't know yet," Greed took a sip of his coffee (which may or may not be half bourbon), "still tryin to test how likely she is to turn us in, ya know? we've had a lot of close calls lately I mean…" Greed gestured to Mars right hand, or lack there of.

"Okay fair enough… So what do we wanna do about it? We gotta tell her eventually"

"...We'll cross that bridge when we get to it I guess," Greed stood up and downed the last of his coffee, "For now, I'm goin to have Bido track her. See what she's up to, ya know?"

"Makes sense," Mars picked up another donut, "I just hope we get to keep her, she's sweet and cute. Not to mention I'd really like to have a hand"

"Ain't that the truth," Greed chuckled as he walked upstairs.


End file.
